Brains and Beauty
by PunkPrincessHP
Summary: Several years after the events of the 2003 series, our favorite Ninja Bros meet a new techno geek. Will this tech head steal the heart of one brainy turtle? I sure hope so.
1. Chapter 1

Chapter 1

"Hey! Keep up, Donnie!" Leonardo shouted back, several yards away.

"Yeah, don't wanna end up goin' home alone, do ya?" the red banded Raphael teased. Donatello had been behind all night because one of his many devices kept sparking and glitching, causing him to stop repeatedly. He was half tempted to just throw the thing away, but this particular device had taken him several months to perfect; his sould wouldn't allow such hard work to go to waste.

"Sorry, guys. My locater's a little busted up, but I'm right behind you," Donnie called ahead. He put his device back into a pouch on his belt and kept going.

Mikey dropped back a little to talk to him. "Dude, you alright?" He asked his genius brother, blue eyes filled with concern.

"Yeah...," Don sighed, "I just keep getting caught up in this silly thing." Mikey looked at the aforementioned belt but the pouch Donnie had indicated was flat. Then he noticed the small string trailing in the breeze.

"Uh, bro, I hate to break it to ya, but unless that gizmo is invisible, I think it might've flown the coop, dude," the orange clad turtle said. Donatello's eyes widened and he frantically searched his belt.

"Oh no! Mikey! You gotta help me find it!" Don begged his youngest brother.

"But what about our bro's, bro?"

"I'll call Leo on the Shell Cell and let him know," Don waived off. "Now come on. If someone finds that thing, we could be in some serious trouble."

"Why? What's so special about it?"

"Well..." Don hedged, "I may have kinda been using it to map our new patrol routes..."

Mikey's jaw fell in shock. "Dude! And you're supposed to be the responsible one!"

"I know, I know. Let's just find it," Don exhaled. _Before I get us into trouble for it._

~~~ ~~~ ~~~

"Come on, Bandit! Let's go outside!," a young woman called as she opened a rooftop door. A Golden Retriever rushed past her legs, nearly knocking her over, to get to a small patch of grass that had been planted atop the building. The young lady huffed at the goofy dog's antics and went to sit on a sunchair to stargaze. Her rear had barely hit the chair when her dog came bounding back into her lap, knocking her back.

"Oof! Bandit!" she wheezed. Having a full grown dog land her full weight on your lap isn't a pleasant feeling. "What do you want, girl?" she asked the canine. "Wanna play fetch?" She reached into a pocket of the hoodie she was wearing and withdrew a bright yellow tennis ball. This got a manic reaction from the dog, Bandit.

Bandit jumped off and started hopping in place, chuffing her excitement to get the ball. Her owner threw the ball to the opposite side of a skylight, golden dog right behind it.

The owner settled back into her chair a little easier before Bandit came trotting back. The girl held her hand out for the dog to drop the ball into it, but was perplexed when metal (not fuzz) hit her hand. She held up the metal thing to eye level to get a better look at it.

The strange object was actually kind of big and was yellow and green in color. It looked like a G.P.S., but with an odd shape to the back of it. A gentle finger flipped open the front in an attempt to determine exactly what this thing was. A small spark of electricity erupted from part of the device, but no harm to the holder.

Quickly determining the cause of the shock, a few buttons were found to be dislodged and some of the main circuitboard could be seen with loose wires. _This looks like something I could fix easily,_ the young woman thought to herself. She fished around in her pocket until she found her trusty Leatherman. Using her fingernails, the girl delicately took off the faceplate of the strange device and used a little flathead screwdriver to tighten the wires beneath.

Once done with that, the faceplate was flipped over and the buttons were properly pushed back into their spaces. Checking that the buttons wouldn't dislodge again, the faceplate was snapped back onto the main unit with a small click. The screen immediately came to life in her hand and began flashing its options. Satisfied with a job well done, the girl shut the screen and placed her favorite tool back into her pocket.

Bandit had long ago done her business and brought back the proper toy and was patiently waiting for her owner at her side. The young lady pat the dog on the head, signalling that the dog should wait by the door.

Such an odd device surely had an owner looking for it, and more likely than not, that owner lived in this building. Gently placing the electronic on the table next to her chair, the girl dug around a messenger back she had brought up for a pen and paper to write a note for the owner. She jotted down a brief explanation of what she had fixed, then placed the note under the accessory. With hope that whoever lost it found it again soon, she gathered her bag and took Bandit inside for a good night's sleep.

~~~ ~~~ ~~~

Mikey and Don had retraced their steps and were shocked at what they found. On the rooftop that Don had stopped at last, his locater was in the hands of a human female. They were only one rooftop away, in the cover of shadows, so they were ready to follow her, if need be. However, they only had to wait a few minutes before she left the locater on a table. When the girl and her dog left, they waited a moment or two more before going to retrieve it.

"Hey, Donnie, there's a note," Michaelangelo pointed out. He handed it to the purple clad turtle and read it over my shoulder.

 _To whom this device belongs:_

 _More than likely, you'll be happy that you've found your possession and, like many New Yorkers, you won't really like that someone has fiddled with it. I just thought that I'd let you know that while I did not look at any personal info that may or may not be on it, I did fix a couple problems that wer inflicted upon it. There were a couple of loose wires that posed a shocking hazard (experienced first hand) and a couple buttons were out of place. I'm sorry if this item doesn't happen to work as it should. I will take full responsibility for it and pay for any repairs or a replacement. I apologize if there has been any inconvenience._

 _Sincerely,_  
 _Giada Ingranaggio_

She had left a couple bits of contact information at the bottom, as well.

Donatello looked at the note, then at his locater, highly suspicious. He opened the screen and lo-and-behold, it was like it was never broken. The only sign that anything had happened to it was a little chip off one of the buttons, but nothing extreme to worry about. He was too in awe that this girl had fixed his locater and had actually cared that someone may have been worried about losing an artifact like this.

"Dude, that thing was giving _you_ trouble? That chick must have a lot of brains to fix what you couldn't," Mike joked. Don didn't reply. He was thinking back to when they had seen her with the locater, trying to remember what she looked like.

It was fairly dark, so he didn't get many details about her. From where they were, the girl looked to be shorter than he was at his full height of 6'3. She had dark hair and had been wearing a big hooded sweater with jeans. From afar, she looked like any normal civilian, but underneath that hood lay a genius.

~Later~

Surprisingly, Leo didn't lecture Don or Mikey when they returned to the lair. He simply asked if they had found what they were looking for and after giving him the affirmative, he left their presence to go to bed. Mikey and Raph weren't far behind them, off to their own rooms. Don, on the other hand, went to his lab to tinker on some other experiments.

He was mostly curious about how well his locater worked after having been found and "fixed" by that girl. Putting his magnifying glasses on and putting the locater on top of his work table, he started looking for any sabotage. The circuitboard looked fine. No extra pieces or parts. The faceplate was slightly chipped, but that was only a cosmetic issue, so no threat there. Finally, no recent downloads or evidence that the harddrive had been tampered with. If anything, he'd wager that it was slightly faster. Although he could have fixed these problems when he returned to the lair, the fact stood that this "Giada" girl had done it instead.

He pondered over this for a while before he looked at his clock. 3:47 AM. Leonardo would be up in a few hours to wake them all up for their morning katas. Yawning, Donatello turned his desk lamp off and crawled to bed, where he involuntarily dreamt about the faceless genius girl. 


	2. Chapter 2

"G'night, Gia!"

"G'night, Lulu!" Gia called back tiredly. She had just clocked out from Romano's Pizzaria and was _so_ ready to go home. Her boss had had her make over 200 pizzas for a party and she was sore from all the standing.

To make her night worse, she had closed the store that evening and her car was in the shop for repairs, so she had to walk home. In the dark. She wouldn't have been so scared if she had been on the day shift, but eight blocks, at night, in New York City is a long walk to make. Although she did have her Leatherman in her pocket, it didn't make her feel any safer.

Giada threw the hood over her head and brought her arms in closer, trying to keep warm. Snow was on the way and Gia couldn't give less than a care, but if the cold kept the gang members away from her, it was fantastic in her book. Only a couple blocks left and she'd be in her nice, warm apartment.

She rounded the corner onto 3rd Avenue and, not noticing until it was too late, bumped into someone and was knocked to the ground.

"Ow...," grumbled Gia. "I'm sorry, I should have been paying better attention." Gia stood and started rubbing her sore back, only to be slammed into the building next to her, her eyes forced shut from the pain.

"Yes, you should have," growled an intense voice. A few snickers sounded from the shadows around her. "Now...how about some... reimbursement?" the voice purred, menacingly. It was then that Gia chanced a look at her captor.

He was bigger than she expected; he looked like he could be divided into several good sized men. He was blonde and had three scars across part of his face. Her eyes travelled down his arm and noticed a giant Purple Dragons tattoo. Shivers ran frostily down Giada's spine. It was just her luck that she would run into one of the worst gangs in town.

"Please, I'll give you what you want. Just don't hurt me," she begged, clenching her eyes shut once more.

"Oh, really? Well, I'm sorry, but my... _pride_ might be a little too large not to hurt you," the giant man sneered. "Let's just take this away from any prying eyes, shall we?" He didn't wait for Gia to reply, but instead hauled her over his shoulder and carried her down a nearby alley.

He then roughly tossed her to the ground. Gia tried to keep her face from smacking into the pavement, but her right wrist couldn't take the force of the fall and bent at a painful angle.

If she hadn't been crying before, tears definately started then. There she was, in an alley, injured, and about to be raped by a Purple Dragon behemouth. Gia then did what anyone in her situation would do; she cried out for help.

"Help! Someone please! Hel-" a large hand slapped Gia before she could continue.

"Nobody's gonna save you now, you little pest," the gargantuan villain snarled. He raised his hand to slap Gia again, but a new voice interrupted.

"Ya know, I'd say that if you've taken ta beatin' up girls, ya ain't a real man, Hun," the new voice taunted in a thick Brooklyn accent.

"Yeah! And since when are we nobodies? I thought Hun loved his little "freaks"," another voiced cracked, smooching noises following. The huge man, now known as Hun, stared into the darkness of the alley.

"I thought I'd left you to deal with your doom!" Hun shouted.

"If you call leaving us alone with some of your armed goons, I'm sorry to say, that doom was pretty anti-climactic," a third voice chimed in.

"Get the freaks!" Hun ordered. Twenty or so men came into the alley, most of them weilding some kind of bludgeoning weapon. "I'll take the girl." Hun grabbed Gia up once more and headed toward a nearby fire escape, draping his captive across his shoulder like a sack of potatoes.

"Help!" Gia cried out again, fighting to try to get free.

"Donnie, go! We'll be right behind you," yet another voice barked. Gia vaguely remembered wondering exactly how many new people there were, but she was too preoccupied by the man carrying her to God knew where.

Hun had finally reached the rooftop and began to jump from one building to another. Since he had so kindly placed Gia over his shoulder, she was able to see a dark figure persuing them. And they were quickly catching up. Gia kept her mouth shut, not wanting to give Hun any kind of advantage of knowing someone was behind him.

After vaulting from several rooftops, Gia suddenly remembered that she had her Leatherman in her pocket. She prayed that it had not fallen out of the sleeve she had slid it up and was rewarded when she felt the cold metal touch her hand. The advancing shadow was still several yards away, so Giada made a rash decision to help her rescuer. She flicked the knife open and with as much force as she could muster, she thrust the blade into Hun's shoulder!

Hun cried out in surprise and dropped his captive to nurse his now injured shoulder. "You insignificant worm!" Hun insulted, leaning down to slap Gia once more. The first slap had given her a bruise and a little swelling, but this slap was enough to make her cheek swell enough to force her left eye shut. Then he grabbed her by the neck and brought her up to meet his face. " I should just end you, right now," growled Hun, squeezing for emphasis.

Gia's vision started to fade, but she was just able to make out an advancing shadow behind Hun. Before everything went black, Gia heard a loud cracking noise, like a baseball bat hitting a home run. Hun's hand released her throat and Gia dropped back down to the roof, slipping into unconciousness.

~~~ ~~~ ~~~

Donatello had to admit, stabbing Hun in the shoulder was a pretty bold move. This girl definately had some pluck if she was able to do that. Seeing as how Hun was now unconcious, himself, he couldn't very well oppose to Donatello taking the girl back from him. Don carefully gathered the girl up and carried her back to his brothers.

From what he could see, the girl's cheek had swollen and become slightly purple and if the coloring in her wrist wasn't some kind of movie makeup, her wrist was badly sprained or even broken.

As Don carried her across the last few rooftops, he couldn't help but feel as though he had seen this girl before. Well, maybe not _her_ , but her hoodie was somewhat familiar.

Finally, he returned to the alley where his brothers were all and immediately got an answer to his gut feeling.

"Bro, isn't that the chick we saw the other night?" Michaelangelo pointed out.

"What 'chick from the other night'?" Raphael questioned. Leonardo gave Donatello a look, obviously wanting an explanation, as well. Don groaned internally at the disappointed look his brothers gave.

"Mikey and I saw a girl when we were looking for my locater, but she didn't see us," I quickly replied. "But this can't possibly be the same girl. The odds are too exponential."

"She got a wallet on her, bro? We can see if she's got the same name from the note," Mike offered. Leo's stare became harder.

"Although I doubt it, we can still drop her off at home and I can tend to her injuries," Don sighed.

"Are you sure, Don?" Leo asked. "We don't want to risk exposing ourselves."

"Of course. With the combined loss of consiousness when Hun choked her and the, more than likely, stress of the whole experience, she'll be out until, at the very least, dawn. Besides, it'll only be a few minutes," explained the brainy turtle. From the look on the leader's face, Don could tell Leo was debating with himself.

"Alright," he concluded, "but take Mikey with you. He wanted to get take out, anyway. Raph and I will make one more round before we head home."

"Aye, cap'n! We be castin' off now!," the youngest turtle joked with a naval salute, to which Raph responded with a bonk on the head.

"Keep your Shell Cells on and call if anything happens. And no, Mikey. That does not include if you stub your toe," ordered Leo in his Fearless Leader voice. Then, he and Raph went on their way, leaving Donatello and Michaelangelo alone with the girl.

"Okay, Mikey, I think I can feel a wallet in the back pocket on her right. Be careful when you grab it, though, because she might have," *SLAP!* "...reflexes...," Don tried to warn. Mike had reached under her and, Don guessed, accidentally moved too fast, so the girl's reflexes acted on impulse.

"Dude," Michaelangelo complained," she's almost as bad as Raph. I'm just glad she didn't have a blade in her hand." He laughed as he rubbed his jaw and flipping her wallet open.

"You know, speaking of blades, she stabbed Hun in the shoulder with some kind of pocket knife," Donatello responded conversationally.

"Really?! Neat-O!" Mike cheered in awe. "And guess what? Unless there are two girls with the same name living on the same street, this _is so_ the chick!" HIs grin got even wider as Don looked at the girl in his arms in mild surprise. "Why is it that everyone takes a bad license picture? One of Casey's eyes looks bigger than the other, April has some weird smile with just two teeth showing, and this girls's glasses caught the flash, so you can't see her eyes. Kinda reminds me of Bishop," a shudder ran through both turtles at the mention of that cretin.

"What's the address? I don't like the color her wrist is turning," Don asked. Her wrist had gotten a bit darker, Don could see, even in the dim light.

"Just a couple blocks away, man," Mikey answered. He tucked her license back into her wallet and put the wallet into his belt and off they shot.

~~~ ~~~ ~~~

She didn't know how long she was out, but a slight tugging sensation on her wrist and a cold rag on her head was what brought Giada to semi-conciousness. Her eyes were closed, but she could tell she was on a couch and from the familiar smell of cinnamon apples and dog, she was sure she was on _her_ couch. _What happened?_ Giada thought to herself. Her brain struggled to recollect her last memory, but it came back to her after a minute or two.

The cold from outside, bumping into a giant man with a Purple Dragon's tattoo, almost being raped, heroic voices from the shadows, being hauled across several rooftops, stabbing her captor... all of it. Except how she got back home.

Donatello, who had been wrapping her wrist, had to retreat quickly because the girl had woken with a start. There weren't many places to hid and Donnie hoped that the shadows of the unlit room hid him well enough. He watched the girl gaze about the room before her eyes settled on where he was. Donni'e heart beat hard, as if it wanted to give his position away.

"Hello?" Giada greeted to the out of place shadow that was Donatello. Yet, he refused to answer as he felt his body tense. "If you're the person that saved me, I'd like to thank you," she continued. Still, Don did not answer. He was just about to move before the girl spoke again. "I know you're there."

Donnie sighed and cursed under his breath at how he'd been caught. "You're welcome," he replied, a defeated tone to his voice.

Giada could tell that the shadow was uncomfortable. "Are you alright?" Gia was genuinely concerned about how the stranger reacted.

For a brief moment, Raph's voice floated into Don's head saying ' _Said the victim to the hero.'_ Don struggled to find the right words so he wouldn't scare her. "It's just... I... wasn't expecting you to wake up so soon. I was going to leave after I finished setting your wrist," he explained quietly.

After hearing what the figure had said, Gia looked down at her wrist with an expression of shock. Her wrist had almost been completely wrapped in an ace bandage and even in the dark, she could tell that this person was an old hat at it. "Oh, wow," she pronounced, "thank you very much. Very rare a soul would go out of their way like this."

Donatello couldn't help but chuckle. Indeed, there were few rescuers that would take a victim home after rescuing them and even fewer of them would bother to give the victim medical attention. What made Donnie really chuckle, though, was that there was only a select few that were giant, walking, talking, mutant turtles. "Well, i guess I am that," Don replied with a smile in his voice.

Giada smiled as well, from her place on the couch. "Would you mind if I turned the lamp on? It would probably be easier to see what you're doing and I'd like to see the face of the man that rescued me," suggested the girl.

Donnie shifted uncomfortably at her suggestion and tentatively replied, "I'm not so sure that would be a good idea." He certainly didn't need a human screaming about his appearance.

"Well, if my dog, Bandit, trusted you to let you in the apartment, why should I be afraid of you? You did just save my life, after all," Gia tried to reassure the shadow. "Where is she anyway? She normally sits on the recliner when I'm in the living room."

"Oh," Don caught, "uh, my brother took her outside. I didn't want him to break anything when he started playing with her." He immediately realized he'd just let slip a slightly important fact and hoped she wouldn't react badly.

"You have a brother with you?" she instead asked, curiously.

"Yeah...," Don sighed. He watched her relax even more than she already had before she spoke again.

"So, may I ask why I can't turn the light on? I have no reason to be afraid or distrustful of you, thus far," Giada asked. She saw the figure tense again and prayed she wasn't breaching on an awkward topic.

"It's not that you shouldn't trust me... but rather people normally don't..." Don struggled for a moment, searching for a good word," understand why we look like we do." He felt awkward as he tried to explain and guessed that was what caused her to giggle.

"As far as I know, there is not a single perfect being on the planet; everyone has flaws that make them unique. Yours is probably one that people envy, or as you said, don't understand fully. I cross my heart that no matter what you may look like, I will not criticize or judge. I will respect who you are," came an honest promise. True, this way of thinking had led her to meet many different people in the past, and several of them had been rather unpleasant, but Giada preferred to read the book before looking at the cover to learn what experiences it had undergone.

Don stood still as he thought long and hard. Should he reveal what he and his brothers were? What would Leo do in this situation? Could she really be trusted? There was only one way to find out for sure.

"Fair," he said, trying to sound brave and intimidating, "but I'm going to have to cover your mouth to keep you from screaming if you go back on your promise. If you can't accept me, I'll leave and you'll never hear of me again. Deal?"

"Deal," Gia smiled. She readied her hand on the lamp and closed her eyes. Then, she felt a slightly cold, yet gentle hand cover her mouth firmly.

"Ready?" Don asked. The female nodded against his hand. "Okay. Turn the lamp on."

Giada did as she was told and her eyes met a peculiar sight. The first thing she noticed, was the fact that he was green. Not really a light green, but like a dusty green. As she let her eyes travel across his body, she could see that he had a yellow plastron and what looked to be like a shell on his back. Giada's eyes continued to take in what she was looking at and immediately came to the conclusion that he was a giant turtle man. She looked at the hand that wasn't covering her mouth and saw that he had but three fingers on each hand. He was lithely built, muscles _clearly_ visible on his body. Then, she looked at his face. It was the same color as the rest of his skin, save for the slightly darker spots (which she suppossed were freckles) that lined across the bridge of his face. His eyes were he deepest and most breathtaking chocolatey brown she had ever seen and they were attempting to hide behind a purple mask that was tied around his head.

As she gazed at him, taking in his features, he was doing the same to her. Her hair was a dark brown that easily caught the light to make it shine and her eyes were a sparkling emerald green. Her skin was slightly dark, as though she had just gotten a little sun. Her magenta colored hoodie was several sizes too big for her and hid most of her body. Her hands, he noticed, had several calluses but had long since become smooth. Donatello's eyes went back to her face to try to find any hint of fear or anger. There was none. Her eyebrows were knit in a curious concentration as she continued to study him.

"Are you going to keep your word?" Don asked softly after several moments. The girl nodded. "Okay, I'm going to remove my hand now. Please _do not_ scream." His hand moved away from her face slowly, cautiously, not wanting to frighen her.

"Mozzafiato..." Giada sighed in amazement, which the turtle didn't seem to hear.

"I'll understand if you want me to leave," Don said as he motioned to the door.

"No, no! Please stay. I'd like to make a friend of a rescuer," Giada smiled genuinely as she offered her uninjured hand for a handshake. "Giada Ingranaggio."

"Donatello Hamato," replied Don as he shook her hand eagerly. "Don or Donnie for short."

"Well, it certainly is a pleasure to meet you, Donatello," Giada greeted with a grin. Donnie couldn't help but feel... lighter as she smiled at him.

As they continued some easy conversation on the couch, Don finished wrapping her wrist. He was pleasantly surprised when she had told him that she was a somewhat successful computer technician. Giada had received some surprise in return as Donatello told her about some of his less important inventions.

Donnie wasn't giving her many details about his family or his life, but he did share some interest with Giada, such as technology and books. However, they didn't get to chat long due to an impatient Michaelangelo walking in with Bandit the Dog trotting at his heels, bearing a big doggy grin.

"Yo, are we gonna get some food or what? I'm dying of starvation," the new turtle dramatically exaggerated.

Mikey didn't seem to notice that Giada was studying him as she had Donatello just minutes before. As Donnie stood and started conversing with his brother, she decided to compare them.

This new turtle was several inches shorter than Donatello was, but he seemed to be a little stronger in the arms and legs. His skin was also darker than his brothers, giving off a slightly bluish-green color. Like his sibling, he also wore a mask around his eyes, but his was bright orange which made his baby blue eyes pop. _A girl would definitely swoon for those kinds of blues_ , thought Gia. Other than the slight differences in characteristics (and the obvious fact that they were both giant talking turtles), one could tell that the two were brothers just by the way they talked to each other.

Finally, as if he could feel her gaze on him, the new arrival turned to look at the girl on the couch. His face bore and expression of confusion as he looked from her, to his brother, then back again.

"Dude, she doesn't think this is a dream, does she? April's reaction was weird enough," Mikey managed to say after a moment. Don looked like he was about to answer, but Giada beat him to it.

"Oh, my, no. My imagination could never concoct something as magnificent as you guys. That, coupled with the pain in my wrist, was enough to tell me this is real," Giada explained thoughtfully. Mikey stared at her for a moment as she absentmindedly started petting the dog he had had so much fun roughhousing with on the roof earlier. "So, which brother are you?" Giada asked, still curious. Michaelangelo suddenly perked up at the chance to officially meet someone new.

"I'm Machaelangelo, the handsome one," he beamed, "but call me Mikey. And you would be?" Mikey asked (though he already knew) and bowed in a goofy manner.

"Giada Ingranaggio. A pleasure to meet you, Mikey," she replied with a slight bow from the couch.

"I'm sorry, Giada, but we've got to go," Donatello interrupted. "Our family is probably wondering how much longer we'll be."

"Oh, gosh. I dind't mean to keep you so late," apologized their new human friend. She got up to follow the turtle men as they went to her window with the fire escape. "Will I get to see you guys again?" she asked, her emerald eyes unknowingly sparkling, catching Don's eye.

"Course ya will, Dudette! As long as you tell me where the closest 24/7 Chinese restraunt is," Mikey bribed with a half evil grin.

"Certainly. Just go to 5th Avenue from here and there's a fairly good place. I'm a frequent over there, so I get twenty percent off. Feel free to mention me and they'll give you my discount," happily offered the human. Mikey and Don's eyes widened slightly at the unexpected good fortune. Mikey recovered and embraced her in a tight hug.

"A woman after my own heart," he fake cried.

"Are you sure, Giada? We wouldn't want to inconvenience you," Donatello voiced. Gia waived off his unnecessary concern.

"It's no problem," she replied from over Mikey's bone-crushing hug. "Besides, it's the least I could do and I've got a t.v. dinner that will be calling my name after I finish a quick programming appointment." Mikey relinquished his hold and stepped out the window to wait for his brother.

"Well, alright then. If you're sure," conceded the purple turtle. "I'll be back tomorrow evening to check out your wrist."

"It feels better already. Oh. And Donnie?" she raised as he got halfway out the window.

"Yes?"

"Call me Gia."


	3. Chapter 3

"Heh, heh, yeah! Donnie found a girl!" Raphael teased as he started to noogie his purple-banded brother.

"Raph, it's not like that," Donatello protested. "I only want to make sure she's healing well."

After he and Michaelangelo returned to the lair with dinner, Don had had to tell his brothers and Master Splinter what had kept them so long. Raph was happy that he had met a girl that wasn't April, Leo was enraged that he had revealed himself to her at all, but Master Splinter hadn't said a word. Donatello was worried that his father was most displeased with him.

"How could you do something so irresponsible, Don? She could have just as well as flipped out and attracted attention to the apartment!" scolded the leader in blue.

"But she didn't," rebutted Don, a bit of heat to his voice. "She's not like many humans, Leo. She's open to possibilities and people. She told me herself before she even saw me." To Donatello, Leonardo had every right to be cautious about who they interacted with, but in this case, it had been of Donatello's own accord and judgement. He hated being treated like an idiot.

"She could be an enemy in disguise. It could have been a trap set up by Hun," Leo persisted. Raphael and Michaelangelo laughed uproarously.

"Seriously, Leo?" Mikey interrupted, still laughing. "I mean, Hun can have his moments in the sun, but setting something up as complex as that would make his brain explode!"

"Enough," Master Splinter finally pronounced with his walking stick hitting the floor for emphasis. "Donatello, do you think that this young lady would object to meet the rest of your family?" he asked gently. Don thought carefully for a moment.

"I don't think she'd say no, but I can ask," he replied. The elderly rat master nodded and stroked his chin fur in contemplation.

"See if she will agree to meet us here in our home and I shall speak with her. I trust you to take every precaution necessary to keep our location a secret. Should we not be able to trust her for any reason, the situation will be dealt with in the most appropriate manner. Is that understood, my sons?"

"Yes, father," came the response from all four turtles.

"Very well then. Good night, my sons, and have pleasant thoughts for the morrow."

Master Splinter left the room and retired to his bed chamber, leaving a tense air in the room behind. The next day was going to be interesting, to say the least.

~The Next Day~

Donatello and Raphael were to go to Giada's place to perform a checkup and ask what Master Splinter had requested for the night prior. The air was slightly warmer than yesterday's had been, but not by much. Raph followed close behind since he didn't know where they were going.

They soon reached the apartment building and immediately found the correct window. Donnie entered first which gave Raph a chance to look around.

They had entered the window into a living room with a sofa just to the right and a coffee table in front of them. To the left, a somewhat large television screen sat next to the wall with piles of DVD boxes surrounding it. On the other side of the coffee table, a very used recliner sat facing them with two doors to the other rooms just feet behind it. To the right, there was a bar table, separating the kitchen from the living room. From what Raph could see, it was a fairly large kitchen with many images of Italian chefs lining most of the wares. Looking just slightly left to the kichen was a third door to yet another room.

"So where's she at, Don?" Raph asked quietly, listening for any sound.

"I don't know. Let's take a look around," came the whispered reply. Raph followed his older brother, his hand at the ready to draw one of his sai, if necessary. Don went to the furthest right door and opened it to a small bedroom with a televison, bed, dresser, and pull out couch "Not here." Raph cut his brother with an annoyed look that said 'duh'.

Don chuffed Raph's shoulder as the moved to the next door: a bathroom. "Donnie, do you even know if she's home?" Raph asked impatiently as they opened the door to the last room. Donatello didn't have time to answer because as soon as he had opened the door, they had been knocked to the ground. This prompted for some very slobbery doggy kisses as Bandit licked their susceptible faces vigorously.

"No, NO! Hah hah ha! Bad, get off! Hah ha!" Donnie protested, stuggling to get his words out between laughs and dog tongue going for his face. Suddenly, the dog stopped and perked up, her head cocked to the side. It stood on the turtles chests for a moment before bolting for the front door. Or so the guys thought. Instead, Bandit stopped in front of a door just adjecent to the front door and scratched at it.

"Hey, Raph, look. A light's on in there," whispered Don.

"Alright, I'm ready for anything, now," Raph growled quietly. They crept to the door and opened it quietly. Bandit trotted in happily, not a care in the world, followed by the readied terrapins.

Inside this room was a nerd's paradise; several computers lined two of the walls with cork boards hung above them with several things tacked to them. Along another wall sat a good bit of metal scraps and science equipment (much like what donned Donatello's own lab) like microscopes, petri dishes, and many things that Raphael wouldn't be able to put a name to.

The dog had layed down on a pet bed in a corner, looking up at the furthest corner of the room with the most computers. Raph followed the dog's gaze and found a brunette head slightly sticking out above a big rolling, leather chair. From the way her hands worked, she was more than likely deeply enveloped in her work on one of the many computers and it seemed she hadn't noticed the turtle's entrance into the room.

Raph looked to his brother and motioned to the girl as if to ask if this was the girl they were looking for. Donnie simply nodded and made his way to her.

"Hey, Gia?" he asked, gently putting his hand on her shoulder. The girl jumped at his touch and stood up, her earbuds falling out of her ears.

"Io non l'ho fatto! I didn't do it!" came a defensive cry. Donnie careully spun her around to face them.

"Whoah, Gia. It's me, Donatello," he soothed. "Calm down. Don't you remember me from yesterday?" The girl, Gia, relaxed as Don spoke to her and soon looked like she felt foolish.

"Oh! Oh, dear. Of course I remember you, Donatello," she replied, placing a hand over her heart. "I'm sorry for that. My cousin just left for her out of town work and I wasn't expecting to see you again so soon; I thought I had a couple hours, at the very least," she laughed at herself. Don blinked in confusion.

"A couple of hours?" Don asked. "What time do you think it is?" Raphael sighed quietly at what was happening. It was like looking at another version of Donnie.

"Four in the afternoon, maybe? Why?" Gia rebutted, confused. The two turtle brothers stared at her before Donnie started to laugh.

"Gia, it's nine at night," he laughed, "but let's forget about that. We came to check up on you." Gia's brow furrowed and she finally looked over to see the other turtle in the room.

"I am so sorry! I didn't realize!" Gia smacked herself in the head. "Please, forgive me. I'm Giada, but please, call me Gia," she introduced, holding her hand out with a warm smile. Raphael cautiously grabbed the proffered hand and shook it once. "Lovely to meet you...?"

"Raphael. Raph for short," he clipped. "What language were you screamin' in?" Raph questioned with an intimidating glance. Giada cocked her head to the side like a confuddled puppy. "When we found ya?"

"That? Oh, that was Italian. I was raised to speak it, growing up, and sometimes I'll switch to it without thinking," she explained. Raph's brow raised in curiosity, but he decided to let it go for now. Donatello, however was eager to see what this Giada girl had been doing when they walked in on her.

The human and purple banded turtle talked about some sort of computer-techy stuff. Raphael didn't really care, but he kept an ear open to catch anything suspicious she said or revealing Donnie said. While the two talked, he let himself examine the girl.

Her brown hair was up in a ponytail that was sagging slightly. Round, Harry Potter-eske eye glasses were perched on her nose in front of emerald green eyes and every so often, Gia had to push them up as they slid down her nose. A large pink hoodie enveloped her small frame while blue jeans hugged her slightly shapely legs. She didn't look to be a threat and the way she stood and spoke with his brother gave the impression they had done as such for years. Finally, Don spoke the words he's been waiting to hear.

"Oh, Gia. Would you like to meet the rest of the family? I told my father about you and he'd like to meet you," he nervously asked.

"Really?" Gia asked, slight shock and excitement to her tone. "A bit short notice, but alright. I'll just fix my hair on the way; I'm afraid I've been in this chair so long, it's suffered for it. C'mon, Bandit. Let's make sure you're taken care of." The dog that had pounced on the boys jumped up from the pet bed and trailed at her owners heels as the two went upstairs to take care of business.

The two turtle-men nodded to each other and followed her, making light conversation while Gia prepped herself. After the dog had used the bathroom, they were back in the living room as she quickly ran her fingers through her hair.

"So, where are we off to?" the human pondered aloud.

"Our place," Donatello offered politely. "Got what you need?"

Gia patted her pockets, mumbling to herself, "Phone, wallet, keys, door's locked, Bandit's set... Yep. I'm good." Not a second after the last word left her mouth, Raphael had grabbed her up, pulled the hood of her sweater over her eyes, and jumped out the window. Don followed behind, shutting the window while Gia protested loudly below.

Together, the two turtles made their way down to the alley floor in no time flat. However, when a momentary pause was necessary to wait for Don to open the sewer hatch, a loud slap echoed between the brick buildings. Don looked up from what he was doing to see quite a sight.

A large imprint of a hand was darkening Raph's left cheek while Gia tried to escape his grasp, vehemently speaking in Italian. Raph shook his head to gather his wits and stared at Gia with a mix of rage, dumfoundedness, and more rage.

"What da shell was _dat_ for?" Raph asked, incredulously.

"Hmm, let's see. How about _blinding_ me and _jumping out the window?_!" Giada nearly screamed back at him.

"Dat was for your protection as well as ours! I wasn't sure if you were scared o' heights and if ya had kept still and went with it, we could nearly be there by now!"

"Would it have hurt you to have asked first, at least? Geeze, offer a girl a warning, why don't ya?" Gia sat in Raph's arms, fuming for a moment while Raph looked like he wanted to yell some more.

They each had a point, though. Raph was rude and assumptuous and Gia over-reacted. However, Gia was the one to apologize first. Much to Raph's annoyance.

"I'm sorry I slapped you, Raph," came the murmered response. Raph almost started to yell again, but a look from Don told him to can it.

"I... I'm sorry, too. I shoulda asked ya," Raph stumbled out, still a bit miffed. Gia stiffly nodded, accepting his apology. She then pulled her hood over her own eyes and tugged the strings shut. "Nice slap, though," he complimented. "Ya may be small, but ya got power." Gia kept silent, but smiled up at Raph anyway.

"Okaaay," Don drawled out, interjectingly. "Let's get to the lair before you two kill each other." He opened the sewer hatch and let Raph jump down, making sure Gia's head or feet didn't bump into the sides of the manhole. Soon after Raph touched down, Donnie was right behind him, the hatch firmly shut.


	4. Chapter 4

A terrible smell wafted in the air, making Giada scrunch her nose. "You guys live in the sewers?" she braved to ask.

"No," Raph barked, "We live in a penthouse on Broad Street. We just thought we'd run through the scenic route on the way."

"No need to be sarcastic, _somaro_ ," she mumbled back. Donnie felt bad. Here was a new human friend and his younger brother was being a jerk. What else was new?

"Sorry about him, Gia," Donatello apologized. "To answer your question though, yes; We live in the sewers. Technically, born and raised here. Our home is infinitely better than any sewer tunnel and many of the apartments topside." He boasted a bit with pride. He had put in an awful lot of work into the lair.

"Oh," came the small response.

The rest of the walk was pretty quiet other than the occasional splashing of water from pipes. After only a few minutes, the odd trio came to a stop at an apparent dead end. Donnie checked to make sure Gia was still blinded by her hood (which she was) and proceeded to open a hidden door by pulling one particular overhanging pipe down.

They walked inside and Gia's nose was no longer pelted with the stench of the sewer. Instead, it was met with an aroma of old leather, sweat and incense. Raph set Gia down in earnest, almost as if he were afraid she'd give him cooties if he held her any longer.

"Can I lift my hood yet?" Gia asked. Instead of answering, Don just pulled the hood off for her.

"Welcome to our home, Gia," he greeted, extending an arm to show the wondrous space. Gia stared before her, slightly dumbfounded.

Against the farthest wall, a super-mega computer sat in its technological glory and a subway trailer just to it's left. To her right was a living room with two long couches, a recliner, a coffee table and a bunch of smaller televisions that were all hooked up to display one large image. The display of which was currently showcasing a video game being played by the other turtle Gia had already met, Michaelangelo, who was seated on the floor.

Further to the left, traditional Japanese paper doors stood; one large and one small. The center of the home had a large circular pool of sorts with an "X" shaped bridge leading to the other sections. Along one wall was a staircase that led over the living room and had several other doors lining a second floor. Bedrooms, Gia guessed.

Mikey paused his game and looked toward the door. "Hey, Dudette!" he greeted happily.

"Hey, Mikey," Gia hailed back as she cautiously walked forward. "What are you playing?"

Mikey then showed her his game, Gia awestruck at the display while Raph went to the kitchen and Don went to tell Master Splinter their guest had arrived. More likely than not, Master Splinter and Leo would be meditating. Donatello went over to the smaller paper door and knocked on the wood panel.

"Come in, Donatello," an wizened, old voice prompted. Gently, Don opened the door and stepped into a candle-lit bedroom. Don's guess had been right as both Leo and Master Splinter were in the Lotus position on the floor, meditating.

"Our guest is here, Father," Don reported, bowing and bringing his hands together. Master Splinter opened his eyes slowly and smiled.

"Very well. Let us gather in the living room," responded the elderly rat master. Leo stood and helped Master Splinter to his feet.

The three of them walked back out to the living room to find Mike and Gia sitting cross-legged on the floor, yelling and playing video games like children. Master Splinter took a seat in the recliner while Don joined Raph on one of the couches and Leo took up post just over his father's shoulder. They waited patiently for the round to come to an end, as close a virtual battle as it was. Even Master Splinter could tell that it was an intense battle with as little electronic knowledge he had.

"Si con-artisto, anche gli suiluppatori non lo so che si muanovo!" Gia shouted as Mikey accomplished a difficult string of button commands.

"I have _no_ idea what you just said!" Mikey laughed. "But I bet it has something to do with me kicking your butt!" The racing game the two were playing was super close and it looked like Mikey would be victorious. "And... taste... your...," he taunted as he got ever closer to the finish line. *KABOOM * His sentence was interrupted as his racing character was hit with some kind of explosive, letting Gia take the lead and win. "Defeat?"

"Good game, Mikey, but I have moves of my own," Gia toyed with a hint of pride.

"But you... but I... I want a rematch!" Mikey pouted childishly. Gia was totally ready for another round, but it was now that Master Splinter decided to interject.

"Michaelangelo, we did not invite our guest to play video games all evening," he voiced as he grabbed the remote to turn the television off.

"Yes, sensei," the orange banded turtle bowed.

Giada glanced back and saw that it was a giant rat to which Mike was addressing. Giant turtles? Cool. Giant rat? Also cool.

"Welcome, young lady, to our home. I am Master Splinter and this is Leonardo, whom you have yet to meet, I presume?" the elderly rodent greeted warmly.

"Hello, Master Splinter," Gia replied kindly. "Leonardo." She bowed respectfully to each, catching them off guard slightly. "Thank you for inviting me here."

"My, what lovely manners you possess, especially in the presence of those... er... how do you say... out of the norm," Master Splinter complimented before continuing, "What is your name, miss?"

"Giada Ingranaggio, sir," she responded in kind. "But Gia is fine."

"Well, Miss Giada, it is a lovely change to welcome one with such good civilities into our home. I trust your journey here with my sons went well?"

"Oh, yes. Your sons have showed me nothing but respect and kindness."

Master Splinter grinned and nodded. His graying fur made him look wise and the way he spoke reminded Gia of her grandfather. She felt like she could trust him with anything, his ubiquity was so strong.

"Good, good," the elder mused.

The turtles relaxed a bit, except for Leo who seemed to be examining her every move. Gia just ignored him, but she understood why he looked at her so intensely. Leonardo was probably the most protective of the family and quite possibly very wary of newcomers. Gia couldn't blame the guy. New people meant that there was a chance of danger. A threat to their lifestyles. And threats would not be tolerated.

"So tell me how you came to meet my son Donatello?" Splinter asked, abruptly gaining her attention once more.

"Oh!" Gia remembered. This was probably why she had been brought down here; to share her side of the story.

Thus, she told Master Splinter what had happened only a few nights ago. How she had been walking home, accidentally walking into Hun, and him spraining her wrist in his forcing her to the ground. She showed her bandaged, slightly discolored wrist to emphasize. She then told of the boys appearing, making Hun snag her up and away to the chase on the roof tops.

Gia also told of the terrifying thoughts running through her head at the time. Why she did, she didn't know. The part where she told the rat master that she had stabbed Hun in the shoulder in an attempt to help her rescuer had intrigued them all.

"Why would you do such a rash thing? You said you had not seen my sons, so why would you wish to help them? Did you not think of the possibility that you could have been stuck in a worse situation if it had not been them?" Master Splinter asked.

"Honestly? I didn't think at all. I just knew I wanted to get away from the _somaro_ who was gonna rape me and that my rescuers weren't evil. Just a feeling of blind trust, I guess," she explained lamely. Master Splinter nodded as he mulled over her answer, a strange twinkle in his eyes, and let Gia continue with her story.

Finally, she told of how Hun had choked her into unconsciousness and that she woke up to Donnie wrapping her hand in the dark.

Master Splinter nodded in thought as her story concluded. "It certainly takes a strong mind to accept what we are. The fact that you have done so as quickly as you have is remarkable," he complimented.

"Thank you, Master Splinter," Gia bowed. "If I may, how did you guys come to be?" she asked. "Were you bitten by radioactive spiders? Experimented on with genetics? Oh! Were you transformed from an ordinary rat and turtles from a nuclear goo?" Her questions came eagerly, but gingerly. An odd mixture of emotion, but one that worked. Her last guess caught the mutants by surprise and set Leonardo into full on 'suspicion mode'.

"Why... yes, actually. It was the nuclear ooze. How did you guess?" Don asked in disbelief.

Gia laughed in embarrassment as she rubbed her arm. "Comic books," she answered. "Super heroes sometimes get their powers from nuclear activity. Freaktastic Five from Marble, Professor Pittsburgh from AC, and the Adult Nuked Superhero Ducks from Facade are all good examples of that." Her face got a tinge red in her awkwardness while the turtles had mixed reactions, themselves. Mikey was in awe, Don was confused, but intrigued, Raph looked at her like she was an idiot, and Leo kept glaring in suspicion.

"My, what an imagination you have -much like Michaelangelo- but yes. Many years ago, we were changed. Would you like to hear the story?" Splinter offered, generously. Gia nodded in excitement, making her look like a child. "Very well then."

"Years ago, I was a normal pet rat. My life was simple then. I had a nice environment full of food and my owner loved me very much. His name was Master Yoshi and he was very skilled in the art of ninjutsu.

"We had moved from Japan so my Master could find his place in life. After nearly getting mugged by some ruffians, he had decided to open a dojo to teach those who wished to defend themselves. Master Yoshi's skills were legendary and I often found myself mimicking my Master's movements when he taught and meditating with him in times of peace.

"However, our peace in New York had not lasted long. An evil man, known as the Shredder, wanted my Master to join his army. He wished to take control over the world through monetary and monopolistic gains, enforcing his will with the might of his Foot Ninjas. Master Yoshi had been promised a position of power with riches beyond his dreams, but he refused. Yoshi had seen that this man was evil and knew that he did not wish to become part of Shredder's mad scheme.

"Shredder tried multiple tactics to get Master Yoshi to join with him, but he failed each time. One night, my Master and I were meditating when he was attacked! The man you encountered, Hun, lead the offense on our home with several Foot Ninja at his command. My cage had been opened during the ensuing chaos and I rushed to aide my Master.

"Hun and his ninja had over-powered Master Yoshi and offered him one last chance to join forces with the Shredder. Again, my Master said no. In my desire to help him, I ran up Hun's clothing and slashed at his face with my claws. He still has the scars to this day. Now, angered to the highest point, Hun flung me out of a broken window and killed my Master."

Splinter's eyes teared up at the painful memory, Leo squeezing his shoulder reassuringly. Master Splinter took a moment to recompose himself before he spoke again.

"I hadn't lived in the streets for very long before I laid witness to an incredible accident. A young boy was walking home with four baby turtles in a jar-"

"That's us!" Mikey loudly interrupted.

"Michaelangelo. Flips. Now," ordered Splinter. Mikey groaned, but did as he was told. "Continuing on," the rat master started again. "The boy was not paying attention to the traffic of the road and attempted to cross the street. A large truck swerved to avoid the boy and ran into the wall of a building. The force of the impact opened the back of the truck and it's contents all fell to the ground, one container rolling into water drain next to the one I was watching from.

"In all the mess of people looking to see if the boy had been harmed, the jar the child carried fell and also fell into the water drain. I immediately went to investigate the jar and found the baby turtles covered in some sort of green substance. I took them and placed them in an old tin can that was nearby, getting the substance on me in the process.

"The next morning, I awoke to a surprise; the baby turtles I had rescued had doubled in size and I had grown quite large for the nest I had built. I also discovered that our collective intelligence was affected when I was able to read the letters on the container of the green mess and when the turtles spoke to me!

"From then on, I raised them as my own and taught them the way of the ninja, which they have taken to very well," Master Splinter praised, finishing his tale. "Which brings me to my next point." Gia sat on edge, wondering what else Master Splinter would say.

"Seeing as we are who we are, we do not really welcome the thought of being discovered by the surface dwellers who would wish to experiment on us. So, our existence must remain a secret." Master Splinter fixed Giada with a stern look, his eyes hardening before continuing. "Can we trust you, Miss Giada?" The turtles all tensed as they looked between their father and their guest, waiting for her answer.

Gia's response was a bit unexpected, shocking them all. She got up from her seat on the couch. Walked up to Master Splinter. And knelled to the ground in a traditional Japanese bow.

"I swear on my very being that I'll not ever tell another soul of your existence," she proclaimed.

Master Splinter looked down at her, face still stern. "Even if your life hung in the balance?"

"I'd die sooner than telling such a great secret. You have my word."

The silence in the room was heavy and thick. Master Splinter took in the sight of Gia, still on the ground. And he smiled.

"You are very brave to bind to your honor, Miss Giada, and seem to be wise beyond your years," the elder spoke. "You have my trust."

"Thank you, sir," Gia spoke as she leaned back upright. She looked around at the faces of her new friends. Raph was smirking just ever so slightly, Don was smiling a happy grin, Mike, still doing his flips, started to whoop in joy, and Leo still looked a bit steely.


End file.
